At the 2025 Swimming World Cup

Westmont held October 17–19 in Westmont, Illinois, American standout Regan Smith delivered a performance that will resonate throughout the swimming world. In the women’s 100 metre backstroke (short course), she finished in 54.02 seconds, thereby tying her own world record and simultaneously breaking the World Cup and U.S. Open records.SwimSwam

The Records: What She Achieved

She equalled the standing world record for the event: 54.02 seconds.
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Her time also became the new World Cup record, bettering the previous mark of 54.27 seconds.
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Additionally, she set a new U.S. Open record, beating her own previous U.S. Open mark of 54.92 seconds.
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How the Race Unfolded

Smith took out the race in 26.45 seconds at the 50‐metre mark, already leading the field by roughly two‐tenths of a second.
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She closed in a blistering 27.57 seconds for the second 50 metres, securing the 54.02 finish and winning by more than a full second ahead of her closest competitor.

What’s noteworthy: her closing split was faster than the 27.77 seconds she recorded when she set the 54.02 world record during a relay lead-off in Budapest.

Historical Context and Significance

By finishing in 54.02 seconds again, Smith now holds the top six and seven of the top ten fastest times ever recorded in the women’s 100 m backstroke.
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This dominance underscores not only her personal excellence, but also the rapidly evolving level of competition in this event.

She also defeated her Australian rival, Kaylee McKeown (who finished 55.04), marking only her second individual win over McKeown since 2019 — the first having come the previous week.

What’s Next?

With this performance, Smith remains very much in the running for the World Cup “Triple Crown” for the series, provided she wins again in the next stop in Toronto.
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For the rest of the swimming world, her swim serves as a powerful reminder: even world records can be reaffirmed — and redefined — when top athletes bring their best to prime competitions.